The death of six-year-old Addison Hall has hit the London community hard and many are struggling to deal with their grief.
A half dozen classmates of the little girl and some staff, including her teacher at St. Anne Catholic School, arrived to speak to a trauma team set up at the school on Monday. Some have written notes to Addison.
Her father, Eric Hall, is calling his daughter a vivacious angel. “Our lives are forever changed and our hearts will ache until we get to see her again," Hall wrote in a statement.
Next-door neighbour, Terri Taylor, described the whole family as “beautiful.”
“We just wish them blessings and we’re praying for them,” Taylor says. “This must be a hard, hard time for them. A lot of people are distraught.”
Addison died after a red Monte Carlo reversed through the front of the Costco store on Wellington Road last Friday.
Six people were taken to hospital and Addison later died. Her younger sister is in critical condition.
Addison's mother, Danah McKinnon-Bozek, was eight months pregnant and delivered the baby by emergency C-section. While McKinnon-Bozek is now in fair condition, the baby is critical.
At St. Anne, principal Andre Lisowyk, says the school community is trying to deal with this huge loss.
“It’s hitting home because it’s a child, it’s a young life. The students have written notes to Addison. We’ve had …classmates of Addison’s show up (Monday) morning to share their thoughts, their love for Addison,” he says. Her older reading and church buddies are reaching out on social media saying how much they are missing her.
Lisowyk says parents have also requested information from the counselling team about how to talk to young children about loss of life.
In August and September, more counselling will be offered. “Once we get back into gear in September, this will be repeated with the whole school population.”
Addison had just graduated from senior kindergarten.
Police are still investigating the collision and will be for a while.
“We’re still trying to figure out how and why this occurred. We’ve got lots that we still have to do, such as vehicle examinations and compare witness statements,” says Const. Ken Steeves. “So it is going to be some time before we get answers ourselves.”
A trust fund has been set up to cover the funeral expenses for Addison. More than $33,000 has been raised.
And a candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday at Greenway Park. It is set to start at 8 p.m.